Shadowmoor (de Lohr Dynasty #6) Read Online Free PDF Page A

young woman, and her mother and father and brother, worked hard to be grateful for what they had. But at times, it was difficult.
    Lady Liselotte l’Audacieux moved away from the fire now that the stew was bubbling, moving to complete a few other chores before sup. Tall, she wasn’t terribly slender but rather the right mix of narrow waist and round hips that looked most pleasing through the simple clothing she wore. She had long legs and long arms, with long tapered fingers that her mother told her were angel’s fingers, and her facial features were something just this side of heaven as well.
    Dark lashes, dark brows, and hazel eyes against her pale skin made Liselotte’s beauty quite legendary, something that had unfortunately not gone unnoticed by a neighbor to the south. Lord Bramley had been demanding her hand for the past four years, ever since he saw her on the street in Bradford as she passed through the town with her father. She had been nearly fifteen at the time and Lord Bramley had demanded marriage at that very moment, to which her father had staunchly refused. And that refusal had been the beginning of a four-year-long nightmare.
    A nightmare with seemingly no end. As the other women were moving about the hall, preparing for the coming meal, Liselotte sat at one of the three big feasting tables in the room to cut small green apples that her mother was so fond of. As she chopped, her mind wandered to the continuation of the nightmare and the depressing state of Shadowmoor with her brother’s abduction and Lord Bramley demands of both marriage and Shadowmoor.
    Of course, Liselotte’s father had refused to turn over his daughter and his fortress, but that left poor little Gunnar in a terrible position. Liselotte adored her younger brother, ten years younger than she, and his predicament was a heartbreaking one. More than once, she had tried to leave Shadowmoor to go to Bramley Castle so she could exchange herself for the boy, but her father had confronted her every time and prevented her from leaving. He told her that he was praying very hard for divine intervention and he was certain that God would hear their prayers and send help for young Gunnar.
    As long as Lord Bramley thought he could get something for the boy, he wouldn’t harm him, so Etzel had been convinced his son was safe for a time. But that time would run out. Meanwhile, life went on at Shadowmoor as Etzel prayed and Liselotte conspired to make another attempt to reach Bramley Castle without her father stopping her. Unlike her father, she wasn’t convinced that divine intervention was possible. The only thing Bramley would understand was an army bigger than his was, but Shadowmoor could provide no such army. The situation, therefore, was precarious.
    As Liselotte sat and cut up the small apples that would soon be boiled with spices for a tasty compote, her father entered the hall and headed in her direction. As Liselotte looked up, her father seemed to be waving his arms all over the place.
    “Leese!” he cried. “Have you heard? Gunnar has returned!”
    Startled, Liselotte nearly dropped her knife. “He has ?” she exclaimed, a hand flying to her mouth in shock. “But – but how? When?”
    Etzel patted her on the shoulder, his round face alive with excitement. “Only now,” he said. “He escaped Bramley and a knight happened to rescue him and bring him home. We must offer prayers to God for His great mercy!”
    Liselotte was looking up at her father, still stunned with the news. “A knight found him?” she asked. “Who is this knight?”
    Etzel continued to pat her on the shoulder. “A very big and important knight,” he said. “I do not know his name. He saved Gunnar and that is all I need know. He is in the stable with his horse but will be here soon for the meal. What is on the menu this night?”
    Liselotte set her knife down. She didn’t feel much like cooking any longer, more than eager to see her brother and see for